ng around on the floor seemed cute by comparison.

“Annnnd what brings your lordship to my humble abode? I hear you’re a real hooot stuff nowadays.” (Maria)

Maria scratched her unkempt hair like a man, and then, smacked her lips and scanned her surroundings.

“Well... take a seat anywhere. Want something to drink? How about alcohol? I don’t have anything else, though.” (Maria)

“Nah, I’m fine. Looks like you were asleep just now.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“Yeah, I was. I drank a bit much yesterday, you see.. Euh, euh... f*cking hell, this hangover is killing me.” (Maria)

Maria picked up one of the many bottles on the floor and shook it around. Slosh, slosh... She didn’t even hesitate for a second before dumping the contents down her throat. Her white neck skin bobbed up and down a couple of times, and when she was finally done, she shuddered slightly as a grimace formed on her face.

“Urgh. Now I feel like a living person again.” (Maria)

“A-are you alright?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“What, you mean my body? It’s a lot better than when I performed the ceremony.” (Maria)

She settled down on the corner of the bed and proceeded to stare at the youth with a pair of unfocused eyes.

“So, what brings you here? Well, if you came to pay back the debt, I’ll welcome you with my two open arms.” (Maria)

“I came to ask you for a....” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“Argh, god d*mn it.” (Maria)

He didn’t even finish his sentence, yet she was already dropping her head lower, a long groan escaping from her mouth. She then spoke to him in that posture.

“You ain’t gonna ask me for another ceremony, are you?” (Maria)

“No ways. I’d say it’s more like.. an offer this time.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

She grabbed the bottle upside down by its neck, prompting Seol Ji-Hu to quickly state his business.

“An offer?” (Maria)

Maria slowly raised her head. There was a hint of interest in her expression, so he didn’t waste any more time and carried on with his real intention for being here – to ask her to accompany him to the the village of Ramman.

“Hmm....”

As expected, Maria’s reaction was less than enthusiastic. Her head tilted to the side just a tad; then, as if she was already done thinking about it, she shook it from side to side.

“I get what you want from me, but I don’t wanna. I can’t see any merit in me following you.” (Maria)

“I see.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Seol Ji-Hu readily agreed with her and that made her stare back at him with suspicious eyes. She smirked a little.

“Oh, my? Was the rumour I heard about you all lies? Or, did the Paradise finally get to you, too?” (Maria)

“I’m still thankful for your help the last time.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“You don’t have to mention it. I’ll be getting my due reward anyway. Sooner or later.” (Maria)

“Of course. I’ll be waiting.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Perhaps his clear-cut attitude left a favourable impression on her, because she crossed her arms and opened her mouth as if she was doing it all for his benefit.

“You came all the way here to see me, so I guess it’s a bit rude to turn you away empty-handed like this. So, how about this? I know a few apprentice Priests, and I can ask one of them to follow you around if you want. Sure, they might not be all that much, but you know very well that having a Priest in your party makes a world of difference, don’t you?” (Maria)

That suggestion didn’t sound so bad, either. She’d probably not recommend someone utterly hopeless since she sounded sincere here. However, Kim Hahn-Nah strongly ‘advised’ him to get closer to Maria, even if that meant spending a fair amount of coin in the process. He figured that attempting to do that now wouldn’t end in a loss for him.

“Thank you for your kind offer, but I’d still prefer if it was you, Miss Maria.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Maria snorted, her expression one of dumbfounded amazement.

“Hey, looky here. You said you know it.” (Maria)

“Yes, I do.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“You say you do, so how come? Okay, lemme make this crystal clear, then. Now, why would someone of my calibre follow you on a pathetic little request like that?” (Maria)

“Well, you’ll earn experience points. As well as rewards, too.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“Gimme a f*cking break. You think that pitiful amount of points will make a dent in my current level? And what was that? Rewards? The rewards you talk about can’t even buy me a day’s worth of liquor, you know? You honestly think I’ll go with you just to earn a pittance like that?” (Maria)

Maria’s acerbic way of talking hadn’t changed one bit. Seol Ji-Hu smiled refreshingly and reached into his inner pocket. He expected her to react like this already, so now was the time to bring out his trump cards.

“You understand me now? There is no reason for me to...” (Maria)

Clank.

She stopped talking immediately as soon as a small coin pouch was placed atop the white table.

“And, what’s this?” (Maria)

“Five Silver coins. How about it?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Maria frowned deeply.

“How did you even figure out that I like this kinda stuff? I’m asking you this purely out of concern for your welfare, okay? You have any idea the value of a single Silver coin?” (Maria)

“One Copper coin is around 500 Won. A Silver is a thousand Copper coins, so 500 thousand Won. Five Silver coins equals 2.5 million Won.” (Seol Ji-Hu) (TL: Just under $2220)

“Oho? I guess now you’re rolling in the dough, eh?” (Maria)

The ends of Maria’s sentence arched up rather mysteriously. Her tongue snaked out and slowly licked her lips.

“Well, I see how sincere you’re, but... Still not sure, you know?” (Maria)

Before Maria was given a chance to continue, Seol Ji-Hu pulled out five more Silver coins. In her full view, he began slotting them inside the coin pouch on the table, one at the time. Maria blinked her eyes non-stop.

“...Can I ask you one question?” (Maria)

“Please go ahead.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“I can’t understand why you, in your current level, have that many Silver coins... No, never mind that. Okay, why are you trying so hard to hire me?” (Maria)

“I believe you’re completely worth it.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“Wait, you ain’t planning to use this to pay back the debt you owe me for the ceremony, yeah?” (Maria)

“No way. That’s that, and this is this.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Hnnng~.

Maria let a snort leak out as the ends of her lips rose up. Her attitude had definitely changed compared to a minute ago. If she was a upper-level Priest, then he’d have to fork out ten times the current amount, but she was only a level 4. His current wealth was more than enough to endure this sort of financial impact.

“Sooo, you wanna pay me up front. Is that right?” (Maria)

“Only you, Miss Maria. No one else.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“Okay, what about splitting the loot? The rewards?” (Maria)

“Is there a need to even ask that? We split evenly, of course.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Maria began pondering seriously now. Upfront payment of ten Silver coins, and no special conditions attached when splitting the loot... Considering the type of the mission or the distance needed to travel, this was a more than generous amount. She began sneaking a couple of glances at him, before she suddenly prattled on while twirling her hair with her fingers.

“Weeeell, I guess it’s not so bad, but.. Yeah, here’s the thing. Doesn’t matter what the work is, someone on my level usually needs somewhere around 6.5 million Won before we are tempted into action, you see~?” (Maria)

Her previously-stiff, manly manner of speech was now so full of aegyo now. Without saying another word, Seol Ji-Hu slotted five more coins into the pouch. By this time, Maria was practically drooling out of her mouth.

“Oooh, wow! This oppa’s a lot more cooler than he looks, isn’t he?” (Maria)

“Will this be enough for me to become your friend, Miss Maria?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“W-what was that?” (Maria)

Maria stuttered in surprise at those rather unexpected words. A slight smile formed on his lips after seeing her reaction.

“Friends?” (Maria)

She then exploded in a fit of laughter – before opening her eyes wide to stare directly at him. A bright smile remained on her face.

“I was wondering what’s gotten into you. But, now I see. You were scheming to reel me in, weren’t you?” (Maria)

“Yes.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“Oh, my goodness! But, what to do now? I’m not that easy to catch, you know~? Haven’t you heard the rumours? You won’t be able to count the number of the teams that gave up on trying to win me over, cuz there are so many to begin with!” (Maria)

That was his first time hearing it, but Seol Ji-Hu simply shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner.

“Are you in or out?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

“How interesting.” (Maria)

Maria stood right up from the bed. She took several airy steps to get closer, before snatching the coin pouch up. She then loudly shouted out.

“I’m in!”

Fin.